For the first time this season, Norris will have a chance to prove themselves in a conference matchup. They are taking a road trip to challenge the Blair Bears at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Norris' pitching crew has only allowed 3.7 runs per game this season, so Blair's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Norris fought the good fight in their extra-innings matchup against Standing Bear on Friday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Grizzlies by a score of 3-2. The Titans have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Anden Papik was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he struck out six batters over five innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits (and only one walk). He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one earned run any time he's pitched this season.
At the plate, Norris saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Max Mierau, who went 1-for-3 with one RBI.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Blair, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Wednesday. They were the clear victors by a 6-0 margin over York on Friday. The Bears might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won five contests by six runs or more this season.
The team relied heavily on Brevin Leggott, who got on base in all four of his plate appearances with two stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI. Blair is 7-1 when Leggott posts two or more runs, but 2-4 otherwise. The team also got some help courtesy of Josh Stephenson, who went 1-for-3 with two RBI and one double.
Blair is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four games. That's provided a nice bump to their 9-5 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.3 runs over those games. As for Norris, their defeat dropped their record down to 9-5.
Norris came up short against Blair in their previous matchup last Friday, falling 13-9. Can the Titans avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.